Gate.



PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908.

0. H. AHLEMEIBR.

GATE.

APPLICATION mum 0011.1901.

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[/VVENTOR l e. m e. a e r Gi f h Nan NQ T WW mfig 1 m Meg W1 TNESSES No'. 882.987. PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908.

0. H AHLEMBIUER.

GATE.

APPLIGATIOK PILIQD 0.0T. 1,190.7.

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INVENTOR 6. fcj lhlemei'er- WITNESSES OSCAR H. AHLEMEIER, OF POLAND, INDIANA.

GATE

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Application filed October 1, 1907. Serial No. 395,371.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR H. AHLEMEIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Poland, in the county of Clay and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in gates, and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in connection with railway and street car tracks and my object is to provide gates of this class, which will extend across the track way and prevent stock from passing onto the track-way at road crossings.

A further object is to provide means for automatically opening the gates by an approaching train and a still further object is to provide means for immediately closing the gates as soon as the train has passed by.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accom anying drawings, which are made a part of liis application, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved gates applied to use. Fig. 2 is a transverse, sectional view, through portions of the gate, and the trackway, and, Fig. 3 is a detail, plan view of the means for operating the gate.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 and 2 indicate the track rails, such as are employed for supporting rolling stock and said rails are mounted on the usual form of ties 3.

In order to prevent stock, or the like, from passing onto t 1e track-way at road crossings, I provide a pair of gates 4 and 5, which are mounted on posts 6 and 7 and are adapted to normally extend over the track rails 1 and 2, said gates being so located at the sides of the rails that their free ends will be in juxtaposition to each other when in their closed position. The posts 6 and 7 are pivotally mounted at their lower ends on beams 8 and 9, respectively, which extend parallel with the track rails 1 and 2, and have their ends resting on sleepers 10, the posts having rods 11 and 12 extending longitudinally there through and beyond each end thereof, the lower ends 13-of said rods entering sockets 14 in the beams 8 and 9, while to the upper ends of the rods 11 and 12 are secured brace members 15 and 16, the brace members 15 being anchored at their lower ends to the ends of the sleepers 10, while the lower ends of the brace members 16. are anchored to the ends of the beams 8 and 9, thereby holding the posts 7 and 8 rigidly in a vertical position, the rods 11 and 12 also serving as an axis for the gates.

In order to open the gates and dispose the same to one side of the track-way, when a train is passing, a pair of operating levers 17 and 18 are provided, respectively, for the gates 4 and 5, each pair of said levers being pivoted at their outer ends to the ties 3, while the meeting ends thereof are pivotally secured together by means of bolts, or the like, 19, one of each set of operating levers having a slot 20 therein, so that said levers may readily swing laterally. The levers l7 and 18 are so arranged that the meeting ends thereof may swing over the track rails 2 and 1, respectively, so that the wheels of the train will engage the inner faces of the levers and swing the same from over the rails 1 and 2, and in order to o erate the gates, arms 21 and 22 are pivotall y secured, respectively, to the operating levers 17 and 18 and at a point adjacent the pivoted connection between said levers, the outer ends of said arms being provided with teeth which are adapted to mesh with gears at the lower ends of the posts 6 and 7 and it will be readily seen that when the ivoted ends of the operating levers 17 and 18 are moved outwardly or from over the rails 1 and 2, the posts 6 and 7 will be rotated and the gates swung from over the track-way, so that the train may readily pass without engaging said gates.

In order to insure that the gates Will readily swing to their closed position, each gate is provided with a spring 27, the central portions of which are coiled around the posts 6 and 7, while the ends thereof are engaged, respectively with a bar on the gate and a beam 8 or 9, said springs being so arranged that when the gates are opened, the tension thereof will be increased.

The gates 4 and 5 are held in alinement across the track-way by limiting the movement of the operating levers and, to accomplish this result, each of the levers is provided with a bar 28, which extends from the lever and through a plate 29 on a beam 8 or 9, the outer ends of said bars being threaded and provided with nuts 30, so that the inward movement of the operating levers may be readily regulated and it will be seen that when the levers have moved inwardly until the nuts engage the outer faces of the plates 29, the swinging movement of the gates in one direction will be stopped.

The outer ends of the arms 21 and 22 are held in engagement with the gears 25 and 26 by means of rollers 31, which are rotatably mounted on the beams 8 and 9 in such position as to engage the outer edge of the arms 21 and 22, thereby holding the teeth thereon in positive engagement with the gears on the posts.

In operation, when a train approaches the gates, the forward wheel of the train will move the meeting ends of the operating levers 17 and 18 outwardly, which will result in moving the arms 21 and 22 longitudinally and causing the gears 25 and 26, which are fixed to the rods 11 and 12 to rotate said rods and swing the gates open. As soon, however, as the train has passed between the gates, and the operating levers have been re leased, the springs 27 will cause the gates to immediately swing to a closed position and in order to relieve the springs 27 from the strain occasioned by the inward movement of the operating levers 17 and 18, a spring 3.2 is placed around each of the bars 28, between the operating lever and the plates v29, said springs 32 directing inward pressure on the levers 17 and 18 at all times.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a very cheap and economical form of gate and one wherein stock, or the like, will be prevented from passing from a road way onto the track way. It willfurther be seen thatIhave provided means for positively operating the gates, so that said gates will be opened by an a proaching train and held in their open position until the train has passed.

What I claim is:

A gate of the character described, comprising laterally swinging levers arranged in pairs, the levers of each pair having their meeting ends overlying the rails of a railroad track and pivotally connected together, one of each pair of said levers having a lateral bar or arm provided with teeth, a support for said bar or arm, spring encircled rods having their ends connected to the levers and slidably su ported in position, the springs of said rods de ivering their stress upon said levers, a gate composed of duplicate swinging sections, each having its hinging post provided upon its perimeter with teeth engaging the teeth of the arm of the respective lever, and springs applied to the hinging posts of said gate sections and delivering their stress upon said gate-sections for automatically closing said gate-sections.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR I-I. AHLEMEIER.

Witnesses:

NEWTON B. BARTI-IOLOMEW, W. D. REITER. 

